All I want for Xmas …

CHRISTMAS is the time for the old traditions: Christmas cake, Christmas pudding, holly and mistletoe, a glittering tree, endless turkey sandwiches and a chemistry book.

OK, so it may not be traditional to read a chemistry book at Christmas, but that's because in recent years it has ceased to be traditional to read a chemistry book at any time of the year. Mathematicians often complain that the public doesn't understand them - which is true, and all too often the mathematicians' fault - but no mathematician would even think of trading places with a chemist when it comes to public perceptions of their trade. After all, don't those chemists make chemicals? And aren't chemicals those nasty yucky things, unlike all those natural herbal, organic and generally PC substances like oil of afternoon dogwort or essence of hugged tree?

All of which is rather sad, because we eat and drink chemistry, ...

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